Okay, I've been smoking meat for a few years now. I started with a MES. I upgraded to a pellet smoker, and I have smoked indirect on my Weber kettle. That said, I'd like something that I can smoke on in the rain, which I can't do with the pellet smoker or MES, for obvious reasons, that has fairly decent capacity, which when set up indirect the kettle really doesn't.
Like I said in the title I'm looking to spend no more than around the $1K mark, although I could go to around $1,200. Regardless, the cheaper the better, but I want good quality.
I also want the real wood/charcoal taste. So, I've been thinking about a few options. I thought of a WSM or a Drum, but I like having a door and being able to see what's going on with all my meat without having to take the top rack with meat out. I'm sure they cook great, but they're not really what I'm looking for.
I thought about a Weber Summit Kamado, but I'm not sold on it for a few reasons. First, in researching, I've come to the conclusion, although purely based on what others have said, that the smoke flavor from a kamado, because of limited airflow, is either fairly weak or somewhat acrid because you tried to put too much wood. Does that seem accurate? The other concern I have with it is capacity. When I smoke meat, since I don't get to as much as I like, I generally want to smoke a decent amount of food to freeze. I might want to smoke a brisket, a pork butt or two, and maybe some ribs. Would that all fit on a 24" kamado?
I've thought about an offset, and I want one someday, but right now, I know that I don't have all day to feed it and watch temps, and I just wouldn't use it often enough to make it worth it.
So, I've narrowed what I'm thinking about down to a few options, although I'm open to other suggestions. First, I've thought about not worrying as much about capacity and either using my kettle along with it or just smoking less meat and doing so more often and going with something like the SSOM Red Box Smoker. I've also thought about the Backwoods Chubby 3400. I know that on the Chubby I could fit a good amount of food. My only question on it in terms of capacity is clearance. When doing brisket, I'm okay with doing the flat and point separately if I have to, so the depth shouldn’t be an issue.
I've also considered the Old Country BBQ Smokehouse, but I see a few issues there. First, I don't live near an Academy and I'm not sure how I would transport it, and it is currently sold out online. Another potential issue is construction. I haven't been able to find many reviews on it, and I'm unsure of how well it would hold up long term. If I'm spending $800 or $1000, I want something that will last for a long time. Has anyone used it and have thoughts?
The last option I've been considering is a double duty grill/smoker. I do have a pretty small patio, and being able to make more room by getting rid of the kettle would be helpful. The main two I've seen and am considering are the Hasty Bake Legacy and the Assassin 36". I haven't been able to find as many in depth reviews or videos on them, though. Any thoughts on going that route?
Anyway, thanks in advance for all the suggestions!
Like I said in the title I'm looking to spend no more than around the $1K mark, although I could go to around $1,200. Regardless, the cheaper the better, but I want good quality.
I also want the real wood/charcoal taste. So, I've been thinking about a few options. I thought of a WSM or a Drum, but I like having a door and being able to see what's going on with all my meat without having to take the top rack with meat out. I'm sure they cook great, but they're not really what I'm looking for.
I thought about a Weber Summit Kamado, but I'm not sold on it for a few reasons. First, in researching, I've come to the conclusion, although purely based on what others have said, that the smoke flavor from a kamado, because of limited airflow, is either fairly weak or somewhat acrid because you tried to put too much wood. Does that seem accurate? The other concern I have with it is capacity. When I smoke meat, since I don't get to as much as I like, I generally want to smoke a decent amount of food to freeze. I might want to smoke a brisket, a pork butt or two, and maybe some ribs. Would that all fit on a 24" kamado?
I've thought about an offset, and I want one someday, but right now, I know that I don't have all day to feed it and watch temps, and I just wouldn't use it often enough to make it worth it.
So, I've narrowed what I'm thinking about down to a few options, although I'm open to other suggestions. First, I've thought about not worrying as much about capacity and either using my kettle along with it or just smoking less meat and doing so more often and going with something like the SSOM Red Box Smoker. I've also thought about the Backwoods Chubby 3400. I know that on the Chubby I could fit a good amount of food. My only question on it in terms of capacity is clearance. When doing brisket, I'm okay with doing the flat and point separately if I have to, so the depth shouldn’t be an issue.
I've also considered the Old Country BBQ Smokehouse, but I see a few issues there. First, I don't live near an Academy and I'm not sure how I would transport it, and it is currently sold out online. Another potential issue is construction. I haven't been able to find many reviews on it, and I'm unsure of how well it would hold up long term. If I'm spending $800 or $1000, I want something that will last for a long time. Has anyone used it and have thoughts?
The last option I've been considering is a double duty grill/smoker. I do have a pretty small patio, and being able to make more room by getting rid of the kettle would be helpful. The main two I've seen and am considering are the Hasty Bake Legacy and the Assassin 36". I haven't been able to find as many in depth reviews or videos on them, though. Any thoughts on going that route?
Anyway, thanks in advance for all the suggestions!
